The present invention is concerned with inertia controlled deceleration indicating systems for vehicles. It is envisioned that these systems could be employed on motor vehicles as original equipment or as add-on equipment.
As part of the effort to reduce automobile accidents, there has been an increasing emphasis on enhancing the visibility of brake lighting. Brake lights have become larger and more numerous, including the advent of the high mount brake light system which is mounted on the shelf under the rear window or on the trunk. However, the current state of automobile brake lighting has typically provided for only a single intensity, that is, the brake lights are either on or off. In many instances, safety would be enhanced if a driver approaching from the rear could determine at what rate the forward automobile is braking or has braked.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,501,742 discloses a brake light having a plurality of lamps with different intensities. The low intensity lamps are energized when the brakes are first applied, and the high intensity lamps are energized by an inertial switch when a larger braking force is applied. U.S. Pat. No. 3,157,854 discloses a vehicle brake light which has variable intensity depending upon the rate of deceleration. However, these devices do not compensate for the vehicle being on an incline such as when ascending or descending on a grade. U.S. Pat. No. 3,955,398 discloses a deceleration switch mounted on a pivot for manually adjusting the angle at which the switch is actuated to set the limits of deceleration. U.S. Pat. No. 2,307,441 discloses a vehicle signal device wherein a deceleration switch is pivotally mounted to compensate, or avoid, aberrations due to the tilting of the vehicle. However, the latter two devices are not entirely suitable for use in the brake light system of an automobile to provide variable intensity brake lighting and compensate for incline vehicle travel.
Accordingly an object of the invention is to provide a deceleration indicating means which includes an array of lights which are activated with varying intensity depending on the rate of braking while effectively compensating for the inclination of the vehicle.
Another object of the invention is to provide a deceleration indicating means which includes an array of lights which are activated from the center outwardly equally on both sides of the array in response to vehicle braking intensity.
Another object of the invention is to provide a switching apparatus which includes a switch mounting member always maintained at true vertical while the vehicle is in motion and locked in that position upon actuation of vehicle braking.
Another object of the invention is a switching device which operates to react directly in response to an increase in braking inertia.